Toronto FC needs another win to get into the playoffs for the first time. (Getty Images)

It all comes down to one final weekend in Major League Soccer. I don’t believe the league front office could have even dreamed up this kind of weekend that puts a lot of meaning on the regular season as a whole. Six clubs remain in contention for two playoff spots after Chicago clinched their birth (finally) into the playoffs last night with a win over Chivas. The win also gave the Columbus Crew their second straight Supporter’s Shield trophy.

Before we break down the games we need to break down some key playoff scenarios (below is from the league’s front office) that will come into effect after this weekend. I’ll go team-by-team here. Colorado is sitting the prettiest with 40 points right now while four others sit at 39 points and Real Salt Lake at 37 points.

Colorado Rapids will qualify IF:
Colorado defeats Real Salt Lake on Saturday OR
Colorado ties Real Salt Lake AND
The four teams with 39 points all lose or all tie OR IF
Only one of TFC, NE, DC and FCD win

Note: If Colorado loses to Real Salt Lake, it hopes to do so by less than a two-goal margin and it hopes that less than two teams with 39 points win this week.

Real Salt Lake will qualify IF:
Real Salt Lake need to defeat Colorado on Saturday and hope that no more than one of the teams on 39 points wins. Unless all four teams with 39 points lose, RSL need to defeat Colorado by more than a one-goal margin because a win leaves them tied on points and in head-to-head (1-1-1), so goal differential could decide their fate.

If two or more teams tied on 39 points win, or if two or more tie on 40 points along with RSL (in the case of an RSLwin), there are some concurrent results that will favor them based on tiebreakers. This is a brief overview of what will help each team:

DC United will qualify IF
If DC is the only team tied on 39 points to win, they will qualify
If DC wins and Colorado wins AND New England OR Toronto win, they cannot qualify (unless DAL, DC AND TOR win – decided by goal differential)
In the case of a tie on 40 points (RSL win, DC tie), DC will qualify ONLY if FC Dallas AND DC tie, or if DAL AND DC AND TOR tie

Note: Needless to say DC has a lot of things that need to happen.

FC Dallas will qualify IF:
If FC Dallas is the only team tied on 39 points to win, they will qualify
If FC Dallas wins and Colorado wins, FC Dallas must hope that DC or New England do not win, as this lessens their chances
In the case of a tie on 40 points (RSL win, DAL tie), FC Dallas must hope that DC does not also tie

Note: It’s simple for Dallas win and hope for the best. That’s all they’ve done recently and it’s worked for them.

New England Revolution qualify IF:
If New England is the only team tied on 39 points to win, they will qualify
If New England wins and Colorado wins, New England must hope that Toronto does not also win (unless ONLY DAL and NE win)
If New England wins and Colorado loses or ties, the ONLY way New England will NOT qualify is if DAL AND NE AND TOR (ONLY) WIN
In the case of a multiple tie on 40 points (RSL win, NE tie), New England must hope DC ALSO ties or TOR does not tie (unless all four on 39 tie)

Toronto FC will qualify IF:
If Toronto is the only team tied on 39 points to win, they will qualify
If Toronto wins and Colorado wins, TOR must hope FC Dallas does NOT win – unless ALL four teams on 39 points win (DAL AND DC AND NE AND TOR)
If Toronto wins and Colorado loses or ties, Toronto is all but assured of qualifying
In the case of a multiple tie on 40 points (RSL win, TOR tie), TOR is all but assured of qualifying UNLESS DAL, NE AND TOR all tie

Note: Toronto may have the best shot at things since they currently own tiebreakers with those surrounding them. Just win and they will be fine.

Get all that? Okay, time to get to the previews for the weekend. As always feel free to post your predictions below.

Saturday:

Toronto FC – at – New York Red Bulls:

The end of an era if you wanna call that for the Metro/Red Bulls at Giants Stadium. Final game in the dump really and you have to wonder if this Red Bulls group really has anything left in the tank after seeing how this season has sucked the life out of these guys. Toronto is looking to match the playoffs for the first time in club history and the fact that they get this New York squad almost seems too easy, even for them. New York does pose some speed issues for Toronto on the wings but I doubt in the end it will really matter. I could see Toronto slip up here and lose this one but I think having key veterans like Dwayne De Rosario really help them out in moments like this. TFC wins and moves into the playoffs.

WVH Prediction: Toronto 2, New York 1

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DC United – at – Kansas City Wizards:

This should be a situation that DC fans would hope for going into the final week of the season. Playing a club that they can beat, even on the road. But this United team hasn’t been exactly what United fans had hoped for here this season. DC will lean heavily on Ben Olsen, Christian Gomez and Jamie Moreno to lead this group back to the playoffs. The thing is I worry this venue in KC is just not one that will help this DC team out. KC is also a team that has seen plenty of success at home against this DC club over the last couple years, especially at the CAB. DC needs to return to their gritty ways from earlier this season and get a late goal to help win the game but something tells me this one won’t get that way as KC will keep them on level terms.

WVH Prediction: Kansas City 1, DC 1

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It's time for Conor Casey and Pablo Mastroeni to step up. (Getty Images)

Colorado Rapids – at – Real Salt Lake:

I said weeks, no, months ago that this game would decide who out of these two would move on to the playoffs and who would stay at home this winter. The Rapids haven’t looked nearly the same lately and that really could smell doom for them on the road against their Rocky Mountain Cup rivals. Real will more than likely make things complicated with all the tiebreakers above but I think in the end they do nothing more than ending their rival’s season yet again this year. Colorado hasn’t had a big game from Conor Casey or Omar Cummings in weeks and I just don’t see it those two cashing in on this one. Real will win this one but I just don’t see it doubling in the form as a playoff birth. Way too many ifs need to happen for them to make the post season.

WVH Prediction: Real Salt Lake 1, Colorado 0

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FC Dallas – at – Seattle Sounders FC:

It’s simple for Dallas win and get a little help and all things lead towards an extra couple games. And if it happens you gotta believe Columbus, the club that will get the eighth seed (which would be Dallas if they made it), sees Dallas make the playoffs they will hate that match up. Lucky for the Crew Dallas has to head to one of the toughest venues in all of MLS, Qwest Field. As good as Dallas has been over the last couple weeks I just have trouble seeing them play well enough to get another win on the road at Qwest. Thankfully as well for the Crew and others in the East, Seattle still has plenty to play for even though they clinched a playoff spot last week. They could still get home field advantage in the first round of the playoffs and that would be huge for the expansion Sounders. I think Jhon Kennedy Hurtado and Tyrone Marshall keep David Ferreira and Jeff Cunningham in check enough to score a big win going into the playoffs. Dallas had a nice run but I see it ending here.

WVH Prediction: Seattle 2, Dallas 1

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San Jose Earthquakes – at – LA Galaxy:

Nothing like closing out the season against your in-state rivals. All LA needs to do is win and they secure home field throughout the western conference in the playoffs. The thing is the pesky Quakes have given loads of teams trouble has of late and have done well at the Home Depot Center. Just last week they took Chivas USA to a 2-2 draw. I see the Quakes leaning on Ryan Johnson to get them some points in the season finale but LA will be too strong with Landon Donovan and company gunning for the win. I like LA to win this one but not easily.

WVH Prediction: LA 2, San Jose 0

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Sunday:

Houston Dynamo – at – Chivas USA:

Chivas didn’t look all that great after the first ten minutes last night in Chicago. Defensively they held on strong but offensively lacked a big punch. They’ll need to find some sort of offensive punch against one of the leagues best defenses if they want to secure an automatic bid into the playoffs. Lucky for Chivas the Dynamo come into this game with loads of issues with discipline. I look for Chivas to take advantage of Houston’s issues with a win on Sunday. I just wonder how much each club will go for the result after Saturday’s results.

WVH Prediction: Chivas 1, Houston 0

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New England Revolution – at – Columbus Crew:

One thing the Revs can lean on here is the Crew won’t be going all out for the Supporter’s Shield trophy now that the Fire knocked Chivas out of the running for it. Tough part is the injuries have killed this New England side and they haven’t scored in a couple games and have won once in their last eight games. Not the best time to play the Crew by any means, especially on the road. Columbus will more than likely post a line-up of reserves on Sunday but they still have some of the best reserves in the league. With all the scoring issues the Revs have on the road (and at home for that matter) it is still hard to go against the Crew.

WVH Prediction: Columbus 1, New England 0

Three spots remain for the MLS playoffs and seven clubs are going for those spots. I think the most interesting part is that after this final week of the season we could actually see six clubs end up with 40 points. Yes six clubs.

See for yourself.

EASTERN CONFERENCE AUTOMATIC BERTHS
Columbus (29) 13-6-10, 49 points (vs. New England Sunday) – Clinched
Chicago (29) 10-7-12, 42 (vs. Chivas USA Thursday)
WESTERN CONFERENCE AUTOMATIC BERTHS
Chivas USA (28) 13-9-6, 45 points (at Chicago Thu., vs. Houston Sun.) – Clinched
LA Galaxy (29) 11-6-12, 45 (vs. San Jose Saturday) – Clinched
WILD-CARD BERTHS
Houston (29) 12-8-9, 45 (at Chivas USA Sunday) – Clinched
Seattle (29) 11-7-11, 44 (vs. Dallas Saturday) – Clinched
Colorado (29) 10-9-10, 40 (at Real Salt Lake Saturday)
Toronto (29) 10-10-9, 39 (at New York Saturday)
BOTTOM SEVEN OUT
New England (29) 10-10-9, 39 (at Columbus Sunday)
D.C. United (29) 9-8-12, 39 (at Kansas City Saturday)
Dallas (29) 11-12-6, 39 (at Seattle Saturday)
Real Salt Lake (29) 10-12-7, 37 (vs. Colorado Saturday)
Kansas City (29) 8-13-8, 32 (vs. DCU Saturday) – Eliminated
San Jose (29) 7-13-9, 30 (at Los Angeles Saturday) – Eliminated
New York (29) 4-19-6, 18 (vs. Toronto Saturday) – Eliminated

Yup, Colorado, Toronto, DC, Dallas, RSL and New England all could end with 40 points.

Right now TFC currently holds the tie-breaker among the four teams tied, based on its 2-1-3 record against the other teams tied on 39 points. New England and FC Dallas are tied with 2-2-2 records vs. the other 39-point teams. DC is in last among the tied teams, with a 1-2-3 record. The only team DC holds a tie-breaker on is FC Dallas, while FC Dallas only holds a tie-breaker on Toronto FC.

You may ask how Real Salt Lake is still alive in this race with so many other clubs surrounding them. Sure a few things have to happen like they have to beat Colorado and have Dallas, New England, DC and Toronto all lose their final games. But RSL holds tie-breakers on DC, TFC and the Revs, and would hold the tie-breaker on Colorado if it beats the Rapids by more than two goals, or wins by two goals while scoring more than two goals on Saturday.

Let’s put it this way, a win goes a long way for all of these clubs this weekend.

Same goes for Chivas USA in the Supporter’s Shield race. Their draw didn’t give Columbus the Shield for a second straight year as the Crew lost this past weekend in DC. Chivas would need to win their final two games this week to clinch the Shield and hope that Columbus loses to New England on Saturday. Not exactly the easiest of tasks with Chicago needing a win or draw to finally clinch their playoff spot and with hosting a Houston club who wants home field advantage.

This week will certainly be exciting.

A short weekend in Major League Soccer saw a couple things take place. The Columbus Crew inched closer towards their second straight Supporter’s Shield trophy (and another birth into the CONCACAF Champions League) and Toronto FC’s stumble nearly towards elimination.

SUPPORTER’S SHIELD RACE
Columbus (28) 13-5-10, 49 points (at DC, vs. NE) – Clinched playoff birth
Chivas USA (27) 13-9-5, 44 points (vs. SJ, at Chicago, vs. Houston) – Clinched playoff birth
Los Angeles (28) 11-6-11, 44 (at Houston, vs. SJ) – Clinched playoff birth
Chicago (28) 10-7-11, 41 (at NE, vs. Chivas)
WILD-CARD BERTHS
Houston (28) 12-8-8, 44 (vs. LA, at Chivas) – Clinched playoff birth
Seattle (28) 10-7-11, 41 (at KC, vs. Dallas)
Colorado (28) 10-8-10, 40 (at Dallas, at RSL)
New England (28) 10-10-8, 38 (vs. Chicago, at Columbus)
BOTTOM SEVEN OUT
Dallas (28) 10-12-6, 36 (Colorado, at Seattle)
D.C. United (28) 8-8-12, 36 points (vs. Columbus, at KC)
Toronto (28) 9-10-9, 36 (vs. RSL, at NY)
Real Salt Lake (27) 9-11-7, 34 (vs. NY, at Toronto, vs. Colorado)
Kansas City (28) 8-12-8, 32
San Jose (28) 7-13-8, 29
New York (28) 4-18-6, 18

I’ve added key matches left for those in contention here. San Jose joined New York this past week in the elimination zone while KC is all but mathematically eliminated here. Everyone has two games left except for Chivas and RSL. That is key here when looking at things because Chivas is the lone club keeping Columbus from clinching the Supporter’s Shield trophy and RSL is hoping the game in hand will push them towards the playoffs for the second straight year.

Sasha Kljestan is leading Chivas USA up the standings. (Getty Images)

As I mentioned Toronto really shot themselves in the foot this past weekend with the draw to San Jose at home. Based on their schedule they still have a shot but if they play as flat as they did against the Quakes (who are playing better these days let’s give them that real quick) they will not reach the playoffs. This game coming up with RSL at BMO Field will be a big one for both. Another draw will pretty much end all hopes here for both sides.

The magic number still looks to be 42 points here. Chicago and Seattle should be the next two to qualify here. Though don’t sleep on New England beating the Fire right now and KC spoiling Seattle’s hopes. Chicago is a better road team and Seattle is gaining loads of confidence on the road so we will see out it plays out.

Those bottom two spots are real interesting though. Colorado looked like they were good to go into the playoffs but after a few weeks of not being able beat teams they should they now look very vulnerable to get passed up here. The hot team right now is Schellas Hyndman’s FC Dallas squad who have really been hot lately. This matchup against the Rapids this weekend will tells who out of these two will go to the playoffs and who will not.

Eddie Gaven and Emilio Renteria are leading the charge for the Crew. (Getty Images)

And just with one weekend the playoff race really cleared up in my eyes. I may end up being wrong about a team or two but for the most part I have a pretty good feeling about six of the clubs that should be in the playoffs this season. The last two spots I am still going back and forth on but I will get into that shortly.

First of all we do know something new about the playoffs. The Columbus Crew are all but officially in if you do the math (The league finally updated their site to say the Crew clinched a spot). Even if they lost their last four games (which I wouldn’t bet on after this past weekend) they would still be at worst the sixth place team this year. Not bad. As for their Supporter’s Shield chances, well it really comes down to that game in hand I think. They took care of business this weekend against LA but really it is all down to how they handle these last four games. I think we’ll see a repeat Shield winner though, they just need two more to at worst tie for first though I believe they do hold a tiebreaker with Houston should that happen.

But let’s move on to see the current standings after this weekend’s set of games. Again for my purposes I use the give the first tiebreaker to the club with the most games remaining. After that its down to head-to-head and then goal differential.

SUPPORTER’S SHIELD RACE
Columbus (26) 12-4-10, 46 points
Houston (27) 12-8-7, 43 points
Chicago (27) 10-6-11, 41
Los Angeles (27) 10-6-11, 41
WILD-CARD BERTHS
Colorado (27) 10-8-9, 39 points
Chivas USA (25) 11-9-5, 38
Seattle (27) 9-7-11, 38
New England (25) 10-8-7, 37
LAST SEVEN OUT
D.C. United (27) 8-7-12, 36
Toronto (27) 9-10-8, 35
Real Salt Lake (27) 9-11-7, 34
Kansas City (26) 8-11-7, 31
Dallas (26) 8-12-6, 30
San Jose (25) 6-12-7, 25
New York (27) 4-17-6, 18

Out of the ones that are out of the playoff zone right now keep an eye on Toronto. I know they got a draw on the road this week but it was a big road point. Their remaining schedule is against very weak clubs. And with the news that New England’s Steve Ralston is out now for the year with an ACL injury they could be the club that catches up to the Revs or even the expansion Sounders who seems to be struggling.

I would have put DC on that list to watch out for based on their schedule but when they lost to San Jose this weekend at home it kind of made me think they won’t be in the playoffs this year. They still have hope but they have to find some defense before they can move on into the second season.

San Jose, Dallas and KC are still alive in the race for the playoffs thanks to guys like Ryan Johnson and Jeff Cunningham. But really they continue to play the spoiler role.

One club that is dangerously close to being in that spoiler role is now Real Salt Lake. Their loss to Dallas this week really should have showed everyone what I’ve been saying for months, they just aren’t a playoff club this year. With that may also be a pink slip for Jason Kreis once the season is over. They aren’t officially eliminated but winning their last three in a row just seems like a very tall task for this inconsistent bunch.

At this point though the magic number appears to be 42 points. I’ll honestly be surprised to find a club that clinches a playoff birth not have at least that number at the end of the year.

If I had to make a prediction today for the eight playoff clubs I’d say they would be Columbus, Houston, LA, Chicago, Colorado, Seattle, Chivas and Toronto.

I could be wrong on three of those wild card teams but something tells me Colorado will edge their way in on the last day; Seattle will find a way in and Toronto based on their schedule will get in. Just a hunch.

I figured with a few games left on nearly all the club’s season menus it was time to look once again at the schedules to see who has what points left out there to grab. I’ll go ahead and throw out the four clubs that are really out of contention right now and are in the spoiler role. San Jose and Dallas can join New York this weekend with another loss I believe and be actually eliminated from contention. Kansas City is on a nice run right now but let’s me honest here it is too little too late so we will count them in the spoiler group as well.

First of all let’s look at those four that I see are in the running for the Supporter’s Shield this year. The Columbus Crew, the Houston Dynamo, the Chicago Fire and the LA Galaxy are all within a legitimate shot of one another for the regular season crown. You could very well also say that someone like Chivas who has six games to play instead of four or three like LA and Houston respectively has a good shot at the Shield but since they’ve been cold and luke warm since June I will continue to count them in the wild-card area for now. More on them in a second though.

Supporter’s Shield Race:

Chicago Fire (40 points, four games remaining: two home, two away):

For the Fire I do see plenty of chances to still get that top spot in the east and possibly the Supporter’s Shield. They must get points at home right now but with a 4-4-5 record at Toyota Park, one of the worst home records in the league it won’t come easy. However they get visits from two not so good road sides in Toronto and Chivas. Their final two road games see them in LA to face the Galaxy and in New England.

Out of the remaining 12 points they have left, eight seems realistic with the way they play at home. They get LA on the road which I think could be a win for the Fire. LA isn’t great at home and Chicago is one of the best road teams in the league. The game in New England is a toss up and so is the finale against Chivas at home. I think they’ll finish with 48, which may just be a couple shy of the Supporter’s Shield winner.

Columbus Crew (43 points, five games remaining: 3 home and 2 away +1 home CCL game and 1 away CCL game)

The Crew still have the best shot at the Supporter’s Shield crown for a second straight season. Take out their two remaining CCL games, which haven’t really slowed them down in league play yet and the Crew have a tough stretch here. LA, Seattle and New England all come to town, each should put up a good fight. Gotta believe that Seattle game will be a tough one with the return of Sigi Schmid. The two roadies go to DC and New England.

With 15 points on the boards left for the Crew I think it is still possible for them to reach 50 points here on the season, which should be good enough for another Supporter’s Shield. I think with this schedule they have a good shot at getting seven to nine points. I go below 10 points because of their two remaining CCL games, at home to Saprissa and on the road to Puerto Rico.

Houston Dynamo (43 points, three games remaining: 2 home, 1 away + 1 home friendly + 1 home CCL game and 1 away CCL game):

The Orange only have nine possible MLS points left on the board and with two home games remaining out of the three games it shouldn’t be too hard to get. They next host a hot KC squad and then LA before wrapping up the year at Chivas. Honestly that should be at least six points if not seven at the end of the year.

If they get all nine points it would put them at 52 points. That may be enough for a Supporter’s Shield but it may not. In other words they have to take care of everything they can here.

LA Galaxy (41 points, 4 games remaining: 2 home and 2 away):

I’ve been saying for weeks that I thought LA was a dark horse to win the Supporter’s Shield this year. No CCL games like two of the clubs in the race with them so they have 12 remaining points up for grabs. Much like Chicago, their home record isn’t anything special as they are just 5-4-4 at the Home Depot Center this season. With a visit from Chicago and in-state rival San Jose, improving that record won’t come easy.

Their two road trips are also in tough places as well. Trips to Columbus and Houston mean they have to take care of business on the road if they want to pass both the Crew and Dynamo for the Supporter’s Shield. I still think they have a good shot at it but getting even six points could be tough. I think the Galaxy will land somewhere in the four to six point range with their remaining slate.

Wild Card Race:

Chivas USA (37 points, 6 remaining games: four home and two away):

If Chivas is going to move into the Supporter’s Shield race they certainly have the schedule to do so. Their four remaining games see them host New York, KC, San Jose and Houston. If that doesn’t get them at least nine points then they really don’t deserve even a wild card spot in the playoffs. Their final two road games put them in DC and Chicago.

Out of the remaining 18 points the Goats have I think it is feasible to see them get at least 12 of those points, which should easily put them in the playoffs at 49 points. That could also get them an automatic playoff birth too instead of a wild card spot. That just means they have to win those first three home games against clubs they should beat no matter what here. Then picking up points in either of the two road games or the last game at home against Houston shouldn’t be too tough.

Colorado Rapids (38 points, four games remaining: 1 home, 3 away):

Things aren’t easy for the Rapids here on out, especially after they failed to pick up three points last night when they hosted San Jose. Still they do have a couple winable games. They will host New England inbetween road tips to Kansas City and Dallas. They close out the season against Rocky Mountain Cup rival Salt Lake, which could end up being a game that decides if they go to the playoffs or not this year.

With 12 points remaining the Rapids might be lucky to make out with seven points.

DC United (36 points, 4 remaining games: 3 home and 1 away + 2 home CCL games and 1 away CCL game):

If you exclude the CCL portion of the DC schedule this club has a very nice set up based on how they’ve played at home this year. Three home games against San Jose, Chivas and Columbus should get them at least six or seven points, which has to be enough right there to get them into the post season. The three CCL games will probably complicate that though.

New England (34 points, six remaining games: three home and three away):

The Revs are an interesting bunch to figure out. One week it looks like they are dead and out and the next they look like they are well on their way up the standings. With 18 remaining points they really do control a lot of their own fate here this season. The three home games sees Seattle, Columbus and Chicago come to town. All three games won’t be easy but that should be at least four points there. The three road games see them go to Dallas, Colorado and Columbus. Again, they could get at least four points out of that.

Will eight points in a remaining 18 points be enough to get them in? Maybe as the bottom number to get in will be at least 42 points this year. Their schedule isn’t easy to say the least but they could get some solid results and pick up points on the road which will certainly help their cause.

Real Salt Lake (34 points, 4 games remaining: 2 home and 2 away + one friendly):

Let’s face it, they have to at least get those two home games as wins if they want any shot. Thankfully one of those games at home is against New York, the other won’t be so easy against Colorado who will probably be playing for their playoff life at that point too. Road games at Dallas and Toronto won’t be easy though. They’ve tripped up plenty of times in Dallas before and going east (and north) to Toronto has never been easy for them.

This club has to steal points on the road to even feel like they have a chance at the playoffs. If they can pick up three points in Dallas it will easily give them the lift they need to get six points at home, which should be enough to get them in the playoffs. Lots of ifs though.

Seattle Sounders FC (38 points, four games remaining: one home and three away):

Tough stretch ahead for the expansion Sounders. Three straight road games in New England, Columbus and KC before closing out the year at home to Dallas. Face it they need to score at least five points on the road and get the one win at home to feel good about things. I think they can win in either New England or KC and I do think they have a shot at Columbus with the way Sigi Schmid always coaches his clubs up against his former sides.

Playoffs are still in line for this expansion club but the hopes rest on a lot of good play on the road which hasn’t come very often this year for them (just 3-4-5 on the road this year).

Toronto FC (34 points, four games remaining: two home and two away):

If Toronto is going to get into the post season it could very well happen based on the fairly easy remaining four games. They travel to Chicago and New York while hosting Salt Lake and San Jose. They must get those two home wins to get to 40 points while stealing three if not four points on the road. I think New York is a game they can win and surprisingly with the way the Fire play at home it could be a place they pick up a point on the road.

Still a lot of ifs for this side as well but the schedule does set up nicely for them to get at least eight or nine points.

Chester Stadium currently under construction. (Photo via Philadelphia Union)

Lots of attention lately has been given to the start of next season for each club. It mainly seems to boil down to two clubs that are causing the league to redo the start of the season schedule every other day.

Both Toronto and 2010 expansion club Philadelphia seem to have their own issues going on. Philly is trying to figure out where to play their first game (or two) while their new stadium is finished getting built. Toronto on the other hand is looking at the very likely chance of finally getting a grass field at BMO Field.

Yes grass. Something nearly every fan, player, writer, etc. has called for since BMO Field opened in 2007.

According to Soccer America, the new grass field is set to be voted on by the city of Toronto very soon which is causing the league to hold off plans of announcing their First Kick schedule for next year.

Back to Philly though and their opening slate for their first season. It could end up being a thing just like Toronto a couple years ago where they begin their season (reportedly in Seattle) on the road for a couple games until their new stadium in Chester is complete. That should also help the club to not have to play in a NFL stadium for a game or two.

Putting Philly on the road for a game or three wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world if you ask me. Remember nearly all previous SSS owners had to begin their first seasons in their new stadiums on the road. Columbus was on the road for seven straight in 1999, LA was on the road for eight in 2003 and I believe Chicago saw nine road games in a row while Toyota Park was getting its final touches done a couple seasons ago.

Williams Proving He Deserves A Real Job

Link

Most of you know by now that I am a big Richie Williams supporter. And you all know by now that New York more than likely will drop the ball yet again on hiring a good coach by not removing the interim tag from Williams’ title at the end of the season. Sure you could say that New York is currently playing the role of spoiler but they are also playing for Williams’ future…and not just potentially with New York.

I think a decent run and possible an actual result on the road by the Red Bulls in three out of the last four games left for the Red Bulls could help Williams land a job somewhere in MLS. There are still a couple coaches on hot seats at the moment and we could see a change or two at the end of the year. Williams should definitely be at the top of most club’s lists if there are changes made.

Something tells me DC could be in line to hire their former midfielder.

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Refs Stinking Up Place In MLS

Link

A lot of talk this morning was on this piece by Ives. All I can say is what took him so long to finally come out and say how bad the refs really are in MLS? I don’t exactly read his stuff every day and he may have said something similar before but I don’t believe a full post was done on the matter. Still worth a read if you haven’t already. We’ve had far too many head scratches this seasons by officials who seems to want to take the game in their hands and not let the players just play.

Week 27 in Major League Soccer proved to be a good one for a couple clubs and another tough one for some others. One thing that is clear is the playoff race is still as tight as it was for the past few weeks.

One club that cashed in on a good weekend by not even playing was DC United. The Black-and-Red were off this weekend but cashed in well on results of others. With New England giving up a late goal to New York on Friday to get a draw and RSL dropping a game on the road to Houston, United saw their playoff chances increase pretty well. Throw in the fact that Colorado also tied a game on the road and DC not sees a possible wild card birth with their name on it.

One other club that is making it interesting is Kansas City. We thought they were dead in the water and in a way they still need to win out to get to the playoffs this year. But with three straight wins under their belt, Peter Vermes’ club is inching their way up the standings and are now just two wins away from a playoff spot. Lucky for some around the playoff zone KC still has matches at Houston and Chivas along with hosting DC, Colorado and Seattle. Not gonna be easy to get those two wins if you ask me.

Two clubs that saw their playoff chances take a nose dive were Toronto and Salt Lake this weekend. Both saw tough losses on the road which means they both need to win three of their last four games in order to reach the post season. Not an easy task for either side with both playing terrible on the road this year and both having a couple road games left. Toronto at least does having a visit from RSL and San Jose along with a trip to New York left. You could say their schedule sets them up nicely but based on recent play we can’t say it will get them in the playoffs for the first time or not.

The Supporter’s Shield race continues to be a tough one to call as LA scored a win over Toronto this weekend. Being only two points behind both Houston and Columbus the Galaxy still have a great shot at this year’s Shield. I’ll again say I still love the Galaxy’s chances at a Supporter’s Shield trophy this season.

Still a lot to be played but even with as tight as the playoff race is I’d like to think we are starting to get a clearer picture of who will make it this year and who will not.

After this weekend here is where we stand. For our purposes I like to place the club with the most games left on the schedule higher as a tiebreaker. Next tiebreaker is head-to-head followed by goal differential.

SUPPORTER’S SHIELD RACE/CONFERENCE AUTO-BIRTHS
Columbus (25) 11-4-10, 43 points (E1)
Houston (27) 12-8-7, 43 points (W1)
Los Angeles (26) 10-5-11, 41 (W2)
Chicago (26) 10-6-10, 40 (E2)
WILD-CARD BERTHS
Seattle (26) 9-6-11, 38 points
Chivas USA (24) 11-9-4, 37
Colorado (25) 10-8-7, 37
D.C. United (26) 8-6-12, 36
———-
New England (24) 9-8-7, 34
Real Salt Lake (26) 9-10-7, 34
Toronto (26) 9-10-7, 34
Kansas City (25) 8-11-6, 30
Dallas (25) 7-12-6, 27
San Jose (23) 5-12-6, 21
New York (26) 4-17-5, 17

One thing I like to do before I go on any trip is make sure my place is decently clean for my return. Well in the case of this past week for my wedding/honeymoon I was all prepared on that level except for when it came to getting back in the swing of things for soccer stuff. I came back into town this past weekend and saw a slew of random scores in Major League Soccer. Some were more predictable than others but some were just crazy.

Yes, the main score I am talking about is that wild 6-3 game at the Home Depot Center between FC Dallas and the LA Galaxy. I think I predicted something like 3-1 for LA on Saturday morning. Yeah apparently I was way off and that doesn’t even begin to tell that story.

While I was gone I missed out on a few things. Where I was on my honeymoon the only access to the internet was through my iPhone and even the service there in Maui wasn’t good enough to want to read up on things. So when I came back I had hundreds of messages and notes about different deals that had gone down. From Heath Pearce to Dallas (no shocker there in my opinion), to Julian de Guzman to Toronto (kind of shocking but in  a way not really).

Then I saw some fun deals like Jon Conway getting sent by New York to Chivas for a draft pick in the 2011 draft. I think I chuckled at that one for some reason. Same with the signing of Daniel Hernandez by FC Dallas. I guess Schellas Hyndman really wants FC Dallas to just be a bunch of his old SMU kids. They never won a national title there so I wouldn’t expect anything great out of them in MLS.

So now after a week and a half of being out of things the league’s playoff race looks a little different than when I left. The way I look at the standings here, the first tiebreaker goes to the club that has played the fewest matches. Next is head-to-head and then goal differential. Number of games played is presented before the clubs’ record.

EASTERN CONFERENCE AUTOMATIC BERTHS
Columbus (24) 11-4-9, 42 points
Chicago (25) 10-6-9, 39
WESTERN CONFERENCE AUTOMATIC BERTHS
Houston (26) 11-8-7, 40 points
Los Angeles (25) 9-5-11, 38
WILD-CARD BERTHS
Seattle (25) 9-6-10, 37 points
Chivas USA (23) 11-9-3, 36
Colorado (24) 10-8-6, 36
D.C. United (26) 8-6-12, 36
LAST SEVEN OUT
Real Salt Lake (25) 9-9-7, 34
Toronto (25) 9-9-7, 34
New England (23) 9-8-6, 33
Dallas (24) 7-11-6, 27
Kansas City (24) 7-11-6, 27
San Jose (22) 5-12-5, 20
New York (25) 4-17-4, 16

The big question for a couple clubs like Toronto, Salt Lake and New England is do they have the gas in the tank to get into the playoffs this season? I still see Salt Lake look on the outside, as possibly with Toronto. New England still strikes me as a club that could sneak in late here over a DC or Colorado.

Next, can Seattle hold on to that playoff spot and be the first expansion club since Chicago in 1998 to reach the post season? It will not get any easier for the Sounders with as many road games as they have left. Lucky for them they are starting to gain some confidence on the road.

And finally, my question that I’ve been asking since May, can New York reach 20 points this season? With a tough stretch of road games coming up it seems unlikely at this point.

Now as far as clubs clinching a playoff spot here in the next couple of weeks, Columbus should be the first to do so with I believe (if my math is correct) at least one more draw. Of course a win would easily do the trick. So be on the lookout for that to happen soon. I believe Houston could also clinch a spot with their next win as well.

Dallas, Kansas City and San Jose are another game or so away from being eliminated from contention this season. Each would have to win out the rest of their games just to have hope for a playoff spot and that doesn’t even look good at this point.

Tonight I want to really get into a couple things here. First being the current playoff chances for each MLS club thanks to the wonderful SportsClubStats.com and the second being the on-going situation with the USL owners.

I’ll be quick with the playoffs here as I’ve already given you all my thoughts on the matter earlier in the day. I just wanted to post the current chances for each club according to the site above. For those of you who like to see percentages and what not in terms of each club, this site is pretty good. May not totally accurate but more times than not they seem to be pretty dead on about where each club stands.

Just like we’ve been saying on here that Dallas, KC, San Jose and New York are all pretty much out of it. Well New York is out. Toronto’s chances have taken a huge hit lately and even with the two wins this past week RSL’s chances haven’t improved that much.

Still a lot to be played though, a lot to be played.

Now on to the topic of the USL and their owners. Earlier today I read this release about a few of the owners discussing their potential moves for the future.

So the owners of the Atlanta Silverbacks, the Carolina RailHawks, Miami FC, the Minnesota Thunder, Montreal Impact, St. Louis Soccer United, the Tampa Bay Rowdies and the Vancouver Whitecaps, are all exploring their options. Interesting. Still a few other USL sides that aren’t in this mix like Portland, Austin, Rochester, Charleston, Cleveland, and Puerto Rico.

Interesting seeing Portland out of the mix here. I guess Merritt Paulson is so convinced that he’s gotten all his ducks in a row for his MLS bid that he doesn’t need to concern himself or his club with this situation for the time being while both Montreal and Vancouver’s owners are.

I have a feeling this is going to continue to be a messy and sticky situation here.

Just how tight is the race? Let’s have a look. For our purposes in tiebreakers we will use the teams with the most remaining games as the higher team.

—SUPPORTER’S SHIELD RACE—-
Houston 11-7-7, 40 points
Columbus 10-4-9, 39 points
Chicago 10-6-8, 38
Los Angeles 9-4-11, 38
—AT LARGE BIRTHS—-
Seattle 8-6-10, 34 points
New England 9-6-6, 33
Colorado 9-7-6, 33
Chivas USA 10-9-3, 33
——-NEXT IN LINE——–
Real Salt Lake 9-9-6, 33
D.C. United 7-5-11, 32
Toronto 8-8-7, 31
—–ALL BUT ELIMINATED—–
Dallas 6-11-5, 23
Kansas City 5-10-6, 21
San Jose 5-12-5, 20
New York 4-16-4, 16

Right now it is a true dead heat for the Supporter’s Shield crown as LA inches closer to the top with a win over their rivals Chivas USA. Houston, Columbus and Chicago all dropped games this weekend. I still feel that LA has the best shot out of the four to win the Supporter’s Shield crown this season. Chicago doesn’t look like they have the right mix of things to do it and Columbus’ and Houston’s schedules are too packed in the final months of the season. LA has plenty of win-able games left and it makes sense to see them continue on their current form.

Now the bigger fun is really in the at-large section of the race. Four spots with seven clubs in contention to grab them. Real Salt Lake really helped their playoff position this past week as they won two straight including a rare road win in Kansas City. Looks like Jason Kreis has his club playing very well right now. I still think they are the biggest long-shot of the seven clubs. I just don’t see them having a winning record at the end of the year, same goes with Toronto.

Out of the seven that could actually sneak into the top four in the Supporter’s Shield race is actually New England. With the games in hand I could see them making a slight run to the top of the east if Columbus and Chicago continue to drop games to clubs that they should beat.